By Māyā

About Māyā

Across
1 Short book returned on account by dangerous smoker (7)
5 Tiller of distant Parisian water (6)
10 Three drinks, then dance (3-3-3)
11 Brothers in musical form? (5)
12 No seducer, I will join local community (6)
13 Film star going to Illinois causes tumult (7)
15 In no way does he think “less is more” ? (9)
17 Company direction found in a 1 across (4)
18 At first, Captain Scarlet had “urban validity” (4)
19 Go towards Arctic the other way around to get a 1 across (5,4)
23 Start out like a blunt writer? (4,3)
24 Hard-hitting film company? (6)
27 Splinter nearly reversed, for our sins (5)
28 Elders nut out the final consequence (3,6)
29 Like Uriah Heep with cap off canvas covering (6)
30 Commercial picker who takes in by choice (7)

Down
1 Winner of tailless 25 (6)
2 M-monkey? Not quite American animal (5)
3 Perfect ache I’ve cured (7)
4 Feel missing tip – that could hurt (4)
6 See 25
7 A 1 across is our ham, too, theatrically (9)
8 Determination about what you’ll do with this clue (7)
9 Called a friend of Dorothy for a 1 across (9)
14 Collymoddle? (9)
16 Musical drama time – star rising to give offence (9)
18 Roughly birch in a 1 across (7)
20 Man: “Oh, Eva!” – getting up to give the boot (5-2)
21 A 25 you can take or leave? (6)
22 Cold appraiser found in a 1 across (6)
25/6 Stuff Hall into a 1 across (5,6)
26 Assistant dropping a suggestion (4)

Across
1 D.C.I. Stanhope mentions about one set of truths (10)
6 Work soapsuds evenly (4)
9 Mitty left out bottoms of tanks (5,5)
10 Pace of caresses taken the wrong way (4)
12 The classroom’s disrupted, but not by him (12)
15 E.g. root growing – hot, endless, towards the earth (9)
17 Yes, a craftsman has the beginnings of a craft (5)
18 Anguish a type of aunt (5)
19 Kink of Verdi, say – a fantasy (3,6)
20 What instructor at the wheel does for buff (12)
24 Lump coming after A is terminal (4)
25 Is order related to Orpheus of a similar structure? (10)
26 Will ego? (4)
27 The much-loved cartoonist from “Riverdance” (6,4)

Down
1 Pledges German cars contain nothing (4)
2 Tree top rodent? (4)
3 Like a communist postman on your birthday? (4-8)
4 Half bull, half pony found in the Waikato (5)
5 Thence Lye artistically composed Aristotle’s final form (9)
7 Shoot towards Scottish lake (not the head) with endless nips and snacks (6,4)
8 Schismatic is set apart (10)
11 The wife of Lord Greystoke, an Earl, and a very short ruler (4,4,4)
13 Railway worker inside, for instance, first to scarlet-hipped bloomers! (10)
14 Italian code left lying around in town to the east (10)
16 Capital University admits backward chump at an equal rate (4,5)
21 Get new floor coverings back, even duller (5)
22 Spoke of sadness said to stop a horse (4)
23 Want rising unit of energy (for short) (4)

Across
1 Stead initially found in Gold Country here (8)
8 Order Cockney ladies to be wordsmiths (7)
9 Stern G.B. is one of our 8 (8)
10 Political exile, fighter poetically before 5s (6)
11 Told to get knotted? (7)
13 Coward at Christmas? (4)
14 Coming to like small bed colouration (9)
18 Food found on head? (4)
19 Note: males have the last word (4)
20 Knight who forces things open, I hear, is the one who cried “Boo!” (9)
22 Slow-tearing tearers, according to 23 5 (4)
24 First part of 9 with excellent expression of distaste (7)
27 Near-naked swinger in Edgar’s work (6)
29 30, fat? Perhaps fair (8)
30 Chris, one of our 8, returned prize houses to King (7)
31 Without an axe, cloning accident for one of our 8 who produced 27 30 (5,3)